TIME: a new watchdog takes on Germany’s tobacco lobby

Germany has a new organisation dedicated to exposing tobacco industry influence. Founded by Laura Graen, TIME – for a nicotine-free future combines investigative work, advocacy and campaigning. Her recent scrutiny of a Bundestag hearing shows why this work matters for public health.

TIME investigates how the tobacco industry influences politics and campaigns for effective tobacco and nicotine control. Graen brings more than 20 years of experience, including co-founding Unfairtobacco and working for five years at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ).

A recent example concerns the Bundestag’s hearing on tobacco taxation on 5 October 2026. Graen questioned the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s choice of experts. The final invitation list confirms that it nominated three tobacco-industry associations and the BDZ customs and finance union. Health expertise included AOK, economist Tobias Effertz and DKFZ’s Katrin Schaller, added following a nomination by the Greens.

The selection deserves scrutiny without prejudging the legislative outcome: CDU/CSU and SPD also proposed stronger tax increases than those in the government’s draft, according to the Bundestag’s hearing report.

The underlying principle is clear. Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control requires parties to protect tobacco-control policies from the industry’s commercial interests. Its implementation guidelines recommend limiting interactions to those necessary for effective regulation and ensuring transparency. An invitation list alone does not establish a breach, but it provides a concrete starting point for examining political access.

For AT, this scrutiny is relevant beyond Germany. Protecting public health requires visibility into who helps shape policy and whose interests they represent. Watchdogs such as TIME can make those relationships visible and hold decision-makers accountable.

Discover TIME – for a nicotine-free future.